Circulating adipose-tissue miRNAs in gastrointestinal cancer patients and their association with the level and type of adiposity at body composition analysis.

Background: Adipose tissue (AT) wasting in cancer is an early catabolic event with negative impact on outcomes. Circulating miRNAs may promote body weight loss and cachexia. We measured circulating miRNAs linked to AT alterations and compared their levels between i) gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients and controls, ii) cachectic and non-cachectic cancer patients, and iii) according to adiposity level and its distribution.

Minimally Invasive Stapled Abdominal Wall Repair: A New Surgical Technique.

Diastasis recti (DR) is a common condition, especially in women after pregnancy, often associated with concomitant hernia defects and defined as a rupture of the midline and a separation of the rectus muscle more than 2 cm. Symptoms related to this are low back pain, urinary incontinence and pelvic prolapse, as well as abdominal bulging and core instability. We analyzed clinical and functional outcomes after treatment of DR alone or associated with midline hernias in 219 patients who underwent a midline reconstruction using miSAR technique (minimally invasive stapled abdominal wall reconstruction).

Assessment of lipolysis biomarkers in adipose tissue of patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Background: Adipose tissue metabolism may be impaired in patients with cancer. In particular, increased lipolysis was described in cancer-promoting adipose tissue atrophy. For this reason, we assessed the expression of the lipolysis-associated genes and proteins in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients compared to controls to verify their involvement in cancer, among different types of GI cancers, and in cachexia.

Small non-coding RNA profiling in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Background: Small non-coding (snc)RNAs, including microRNAs and P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting-RNAs (piRNAs), crucially regulate gene expression in both physiological and pathological conditions. In particular, some muscle-specific microRNAs (myomiRs) have been involved in the pathogenesis of cancer-induced muscle wasting. The aims of the present study were (i) to profile sncRNAs in both skeletal muscle and plasma of gastrointestinal cancer patients and (ii) to investigate the association among differentially expressed sncRNAs and the level of muscularity at body composition analysis.

Complication of Gastric Cancer Surgery: A Single Centre Experience.

Background/aim: Gastric cancer surgery is still characterised by high morbidity and mortality. However, in 2018 an online platform, GASTRODATA has been proposed in Europe to standardize the recording of gastric surgery complications. The aim of the study was to present a single center experience regarding incidence and grading of acute postoperative complications in a population of patients treated surgically for gastric cancer on the basis of the gastrodata online platform.

The role of intraoperative neuromonitoring in preventing lesions of the spinal accessory nerve during functional neck dissection.

Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in thyroid surgery offers a valid aid to the operator in identifying the recurrent laryngeal nerve and preserving its function. Recently, IONM has also been used in other surgeries, such as spinal accessory nerve dissection, during lymphectomy of the II, III, IV, and V laterocervical lymph nodes. The goal is the preservation of the spinal accessory nerve, whose macroscopic integrity does not always indicate its functionality.

Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula: Is Minimally Invasive Surgery Better than Open? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background/aim: Minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is gaining popularity. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after minimally invasive versus open procedures.

Materials And Methods: Following the PRISMA statement, literature research was conducted focusing on papers comparing the incidence of POPF after open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) versus minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD).

The Role of Indocyanine Green Fluorescence in Rectal Cancer Robotic Surgery: A Narrative Review.

Background: In rectal cancer surgery, anastomotic leakage (AL) remains the most feared complication, with a frequency of up to 30% in non-high-volume centers. The preservation of proper vascularization is a key factor for successful anastomosis. The use of fluorescence with indocyanine green (ICG) as an intraoperative method to verify optimal perfusion is becoming an interesting tool in rectal surgery.

Evaluation of Browning Markers in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue of Newly Diagnosed Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients with and without Cachexia.

We assessed the molecular phenotype of the browning of white adipose tissue in newly diagnosed cancer patients and controls undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal tumors and for non-malignant diseases, respectively. We collected subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) samples and using RT-PCR, we analyzed the expression of markers of browning and using Western blot the protein levels of UCP1 and PGC1α. The mRNA levels were lower in cancer patients vs.

The Role of Surgery in the Treatment of Metachronous Liver Metastasis from Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background: Few data are available regarding metachronous liver metastases from gastric cancer. We aimed to identify data regarding the survival of these patients, considering the chosen treatment, with particular attention to the role of surgery.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review was carried out from 2000 to 2020.

Histomorphological and inflammatory changes of white adipose tissue in gastrointestinal cancer patients with and without cachexia.

Background: During cancer cachexia, several alterations occur in peripheral tissues, and the adipose tissue may be involved during the catabolic state. We aimed at investigating histological rearrangement and infiltration of inflammatory cells in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of patients with cancer undergoing surgery, according to the presence/absence of cachexia.

Methods: We considered gastrointestinal cancer patients and controls with non-malignant diseases undergoing surgery.

Blunt Trauma Associated With Bilateral Diaphragmatic Rupture: A Case Report.

A bilateral diaphragmatic rupture is a rare event that occurs in cases of blunt thoracic-abdominal trauma. We report the case of a 56-year-old female patient with pelvic fracture and second-stage bilateral rupture of the diaphragm due to a car accident. After a chest and abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, the patient underwent emergency suturing of the left hemidiaphragm.

Long splenic flexure carcinoma requiring laparoscopic extended left hemicolectomy with CME and transverse-rectal anastomosis: technique for a modified partial Deloyers in 5 steps to achieve enough reach and preserving middle colic vessels.

Introduction: This How-I-Do-It article presents a modified Deloyers procedure by mean of the case of a 67-year-old female with adenocarcinoma extending for a long segment and involving the splenic flexure and proximal descending colon who underwent a laparoscopic left extended hemicolectomy (LELC) with derotation of the right colon and primary colorectal anastomosis.

Background: While laparoscopic extended right colectomy is a well-established procedure, LELC is rarely used (mainly for distal transverse or proximal descending colon carcinomas extending to the area of the splenic flexure). LELC presents several technical challenges which are demonstrated in this How-I-Do-It article.

Surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: A comprehensive review of current recommendations.

The new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a global health emergency that has also caused profound changes in the treatment of cancer. The management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) across the world has been modified according to the scarcity of care resources that have been diverted mostly to face the surge of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Oncological and hepatobiliary societies have drafted recommendations regarding the adaptation of guidelines for the management of HCC to the current healthcare situation.

Distal Pancreatectomy with Celiac Axis Resection: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Major vascular invasion represents one of the most frequent reasons to consider pancreatic adenocarcinomas unresectable, although in the last decades, demolitive surgeries such as distal pancreatectomy with celiac axis resection (DP-CAR) have become a therapeutical option.

Methods: A meta-analysis of studies comparing DP-CAR and standard DP in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma was conducted. Moreover, a systematic review of studies analyzing oncological, postoperative and survival outcomes of DP-CAR was conducted.

A new minimally invasive technique for the repair of diastasis recti: a pilot study.

Background: Diastasis recti is an abdominal wall defect that occurs frequently in women during pregnancy. Patients with diastasis can experience lower back pain, uro-gynecological symptoms, and discomfort at the level of the defect. Diastasis recti is diagnosed when the inter-rectus distance is > 2 cm.

Association between Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) Serum Levels, Anorexia and Low Muscle Mass among Cancer Patients.

The pathophysiology of cancer anorexia is complex and serum biomarkers, including growth and differentiation factor(s) (GDF), may be modulated. We explored the association(s) between GDF-15 serum levels and anorexia and, secondarily, with low muscle mass and body weight loss in cancer patients. We considered gastrointestinal and lung cancer patients (CP) and healthy BMI-matched controls.

Gynecological and reproductive factors and the risk of pancreatic cancer: A case-control study.

Background: /Objectives: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a higher incidence in men compared to women, although the difference in known risk factors cannot explain this disparity completely. Reproductive and hormonal factors have been demonstrated in pre-clinical studies to influence pancreatic carcinogenesis, but the few published data on the topic are inconsistent. The aim was to investigate the role of reproductive and hormonal factors on PDAC occurrence in women.

The Impact on Survival and Morbidity of Portal-Mesenteric Resection During Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Pancreatic Head Adenocarcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Comparative Studies.

The literature is conflicting regarding oncological outcome and morbidity associated to portal-mesenteric resection during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) in patients with pancreatic head adenocarcinoma (PHAC). A meta-analysis of studies comparing PD plus venous resection (PD+VR) and standard PD exclusively in patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head was conducted. Twenty-three cohort studies were identified, which included 6037 patients, of which 28.

Left-sided portal hypertension after pancreatoduodenectomy with resection of the portal/superior mesenteric vein confluence. Results of a systematic review.

Background: Pancreatoduodenectomy with synchronous resection of the portal vein/superior mesenteric vein confluence may result in the development of left-sided portal hypertension. Left-sided portal hypertension presents with splenomegaly and varices and may cause severe gastrointestinal bleeding. The aim of the study is to review the incidence, treatment, and preventive strategies of left-sided portal hypertension.

Utility of intraoperative neuromonitoring in detecting recurrent nerve's anatomical anomalies during thyroidectomy.

Anatomical variations such as a non-recurrent laryngeal nerve (NRLN) are very rare (reported rates within 0.6-1% to the right side and only four cases to the left side) but they can lead to serious risk of nerve lesion during thyroidectomy. It is known that to prevent inferior laryngeal nerve lesions, it is mandatory to obtain a correct and wide exposure of the nerve during all kind of thyroid surgeries but in case of laryngeal nerve position anomalies, it is hard to achieve a safe nerve identification.

Diagnostic delay does not influence survival of pancreatic cancer patients.

Background: Most pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients present with advanced disease. Whether it is possible to increase survival by earlier diagnosis is unclear.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between presenting complaints and risk factors for pancreatic cancer with diagnostic delay, stage and survival.